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Mark Snyder Do it Green! Magazine My journey toward geothermal climate control at my home in Minneapolis began some eight years ago, after my father installed a heat pump at his house in Andover, MN. At the time, I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical of the idea of actually …

There is no time left for magical thinking in US energy policy or personal energy behaviors. With some newfound maturity, Americans could cut their energy use in half today by making a few changes, among them: Turn off lights when leaving rooms. Dry laundry outside when weather permits. Buy only …

Todd Fink Best Power, Intl. It’s 10 a.m. on a Saturday and I’m cooking an egg on the sidewalk, not in Death Valley but in St. Paul, and in a solar oven. The pace of solar cooking allows me to parent, write and ponder our civilization’s future without burning my …

Green Tips

Most people don’t realize it, but one way to reduce global warming is to recycle paper products. Recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees. Each tree helps reduce global warming by capturing and holding carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Remember your bottles and cans, too—any recycling you do …more…

“Green” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” when it comes to so-called green office supplies. To help your office green up, consider durability, natural resource and energy use, recycled content and recyclability, toxicity, biodegradability and packaging before you purchase supplies. You can also set up a reuse system for the supplies you …more…

An average child will go through 8-10 diapers a day until the age of 30 months. That’s about 8,000 diapers, and a cost of about $2,500! A good set of 20 cloth diapers will cost an average of $350 and can be used for future children or even resold. Cloth …more…

People in small towns, suburban communities, and urban neighborhoods all over Minnesota and western Wisconsin are banding together to make their communities more livable and sustainable. Are you ready to make sustainable changes in your community? This article offers many tips for getting started, including learning more about sustainability plus …more…

Is it possible for one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota to be sustainable? The City of Woodbury has committed to try. Since adopting its initial Sustainability Resolution in 2006, the City has progressed toward becoming a sustainable community through several initiatives. You can read more about them in …more…

Shoreview Green Community is a group of citizens from the north metro community of Shoreview who are working with the Sierra Club North Star Chapter to make Shoreview a model community for its environmental practices. The group focuses on clean water, efficient resource use, and transportation issues. Learn more about …more…

A programable thermostat can save $100 per year. Set it 2 degrees higher in summer and 2 degrees lower in winter for an additional money and energy savings. Check out the Home Energy Checklist for more great ideas!